which is mixed with Camphire!(179)
Glory be unto Him who developed the barren and sterile ground into
fruitfulness!
Glory be unto Him who hath produced growth in the adjoining fields of
various natures!
Glory be unto Him who irrigated them with the same waters gushing forth
from that Fountain!
Glory be unto Him who adorned the delectable gardens with all kinds of
delicate and delicious fruits!
Glory be unto Him who ushered in the Emanation of the new creation!
Glory be unto Him who hath brought forth the Day of Retribution!
Glory be unto Him who granted Life unto the contingent Beings!
Glory be unto Him who created the Existence!
Glory be unto Him who extended forth the Path!
Glory be unto Him who made clear the Way!
Glory be unto Him who appeared in the Most Wonderful Age!
Glory be unto the Founder of this New Epoch!
Then thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for these Gifts and praise be unto
Thee, O my Beloved, for this Eminent Bounty! Verily Thou art the Merciful
of the Most Merciful!"
O ye merciful friends of Abdul-Baha! At this moment a letter hath been
received from America containing the good news that that region of the
Occident hath become the Orient; that is, in that region the rays of the
Sun of Truth have appeared and shone forth with such penetration that the
bright light of the morn of guidance hath dawned and every longing one
hath attained to the desire of this heart, and that the melody of the
Kingdom of Abha ascends continuously to the Supreme Concourse and the
soul-refreshing strains of "Ya Baha El-Abha!" reach the ears of the
peoples and communities of that country.
According to what they have written, they have celebrated the day of the
"Birth anniversary" in twenty-four cities by giving public feasts and
beautiful receptions. They have spent that day in the utmost joy and
happiness, they have sent out general invitations, spread the table of
gifts, engaged in the commemoration of the True One and in imparting
glad-tidings to each other. Likewise, letters of congratulation and
felicitation have been received from these twenty-four cities and
assemblies. Consider ye what influence the penetrative power of the Word
of God hath displayed in existence and how the universe is stirred and
moved through it! How in America on the "Birth anniversary" such feasting
and banqueting is prepared! How the remote ones have become the near ones
and how the customs and habits of the East are spread abroad! This is the
penetrative power of the Word of God and this is the might of the subduing
desire of God!
O ye friends of God and maid-servants of the Merciful! His honor
Ameen(180) hath mentioned you with the highest praise and commendation,
saying that, thank God, the believers in all parts of the cities and towns
are the manifestations of bounties and the dawning-places of justice and
equity; are mindful, obedient, kind-hearted and steadfast; are engaged in
reading the verses and occupied with spreading the signs; are in the
utmost ecstasy and exhilaration and intoxicated with the pure wine; are
active in praising and adoring the Most Great Name and intimate in paying
homage to the Holy Threshold; are living in accord with the divine
teachings and exhortations and are in every way endowed with all human
excellences and attributes; that they are in the utmos unity and agreement
and in great zeal and enthusiasm; are kind to every soul and treat all the
communities with exceeding joy and fragrance; that they have sympathy even
for the enemies and are faithful friends even to the unjust; that to the
outsiders they are as relatives and to the strangers they are a
swift-healing antidote instead of a poisonous sting; are the servants of
the world of humanity and manifestors of the attributes of the Merciful
One! Blessed are they for this testimony, which is expressive of the
beauty of their characters and the merit of their virtues! Truly, I say,
his honor Ameen is the well-wisher of all. In the day of the Manifestation
he was the Ameen (Faithful) of the Blessed perfection(181) and in the days
of the Covenant(182) he is the confidant of this yearning one. Therefore,
his testimony is heard and accepted and his evidence is praised and
beloved.
O ye beloved of God! According to what is heard, some of the ulemas of the
Sheite sect (Persian moslem mullas), as well as some leaders of the
Shekhei school, are engaged constantly in instigating revolts and have
arisen against the government with enmity and opposition, confusing the
affairs of the state more than before.
Praise be to God!(183) What is this heedlessness and ignorance and what is
this antagonism and insubordination! Verily, the Persian empire hath been
at all times deprived of every bounty on account of the encroaching
influence of the ritualistic mullas! Whenever that just government
conceived a good intention to introduce reforms and amelioration of
conditions, these ignorant leaders raised vehement opposition, protested
severely and prevented the introduction of measures which would better
conditions and spread culture and progress. One must be just. The
intention of His Imperial Majesty is higher and purer than all the other
leaders and chiefs, for the sole desire of the throne is the peace and
security of the inhabitants and the cultivation and betterment of the
conditions of the empire. But alas! they do not give a moment's rest to
the kind Padeshah, in order that he may voluntarily and of his own accord
inaugurate reforms as much as may be warranted by circumstances.
However, the inhabitants of Persia are not the only ones who are afflicted
with this ignorance and blindness. The people of the imperial Ottoman
government are also in a state of the utmost ignorance and blindness.
Diversity of opinions and ignorance of factions do not allow one breath of
tranquility to the imperial government, in order that it may adjust
internal conditions and rectify foreign relations. Yet, under all these
conditions, His Imperial Majesty the Padeshah f the Ottomans is
intelligently directing the affairs. The proof and testimony of this
assertion is the protection afforded these exiled ones (in Acca) from the
rebellious despotism of the enemies. If authority were in the people's
hands or in other hands than those of the government, the conspiracies and
seditions of inside and outside enemies would have scattered even the
ashes of this imprisoned one to the winds. But the forebearance,
intelligence, foresight, far-reaching wisdom and discernment of His
Imperial Majesty the Padeshah of the Ottomans have so far protected these
exiled ones, notwithstanding the attacks of the calumniators and the party
of the slanderers. We are of those who pray for these two just kings and
are grateful to these two equitable sovereigns.
Praise be unto God! One of the imputations of the enemies is this: That--we
seek refuge in God--we deny the validity and truth of the Sun of Guidance,
the Lamp of the Supreme Concourse, the messenger of the Almighty, His
Highness Mohammed Mostafa--upon Him be greeting and praise!--and that--God
forbid! --we have written books in His refutation. Woe unto those who have
arisen to spread this great falsehood and calumny! However, all the
friends of God who are informed of the mysteries know that this exiled and
imprisoned one would readily sacrifice his life at the dust of the
Prophet's feet. Furthermore, the Blessed Perfection-may my life be a
sacrifice to His beloved ones--in the book of Ighan, hath established with
invincible proofs and clear arguments the prophethood of His Highness the
Messenger--may my life be a sacrifice to Him!--and also His Highness the
Supreme (the Bab) hath invoked Him (Mohammed) in many supplications.
Notwithstanding all these evidences, the unjust ones are crying out and
secretly spreading the falsehood that we--God forbid!--are His deniers and
the unfaithful friends (nakzeen) acknowledge these erroneous imputations.
Praise be to God! If we deny the messengers and prophets of God, what have
we to say for ourselves? Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily this is a
great calumny!
To be brief, the aim is this: Though the interference of the ignorant and
fanatical leaders the country of Persia is in a state of decadence,
although the pure intention of His Imperial Majesty the crowned Shah is
for progress. However, ye who are the well-wishers of the government and
are sincere, obedient and kind toward it, be ye engaged always in service.
Should any one of you enter into the service (or employment) of the
government, he must live and act with the utmost truthfulness,
righteousness, chastity, uprightness, purity, sanctity, justice and
equity. But if--I seek refuge in God--any one betray the least of trusts or
neglect and be remiss in the performance of duties which are intrusted to
him, or by oppression takes one penny of extortion from the subjects, or
seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends in the attainment of
his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain deprived of the outpourings
of His Highness the Almighty! Beware! Beware! lest ye fall short in that
which ye are commanded in this Tablet!
"O thou who art sweet tongued!..."
O thou who art sweet tongued!
Thy poem(184) is a wonder to the minds and intellects and thy composition
an evidence of the gift of the great Lord. Therefore, thy wine is the pure
wine, thy heart the recess of light and thy brow radiant with love.
If the people of the world were fair in judgment, the sweetness of thy
poem should be a sufficient proof.
A young boy of the posterity of Israel whose pure mouth still emits the
fragrance of milk, uttering such a marvelous anthem!
"O bird of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!..."
O bird(185) of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!
Be of no cheerless heart; have no wing nor feather broken;sigh not,
neither do thou wail, and sit not chilled in a corner.
The little girl lamented is in the divine Rose-garden in the highest
happiness, delight, cheerfulness and gratification. Why then art thou
grieved, sorrowing with a bleeding heart? This is the day of rejoicing and
the hour of ecstasy! This is the season of the dead arising from the
graves and gathering together! And this is the promised time for the
attainment of plenteous grace.
Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the
darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the sun of everlasting joy
arise from the dawning-place of heard and soul, shining brightly.***
Upon thee be the Glory of the Most-Glorious!
"O thou friend!..."
O thou friend!(186)
A fire from the Kingdom hath been kindled in the heart of the world, in
the Blessed Tree, whose flame shall ere long set aglow the pillars of the
earth and its rays illumine the horizons of the nations. All the signs
hath appeared, all the (prophetic) references hath become clear, all that
was revealed in the Books and Scriptures hath become fully manifest, and
there is no ground for any one to hesitate in regard thereto.
Some people of former times and some sects avoided certain others as
strangers, but now the Glorious Beloved One hath ridden upon His swift
coursing steed, circling about in the arena of Truth and all that was
hidden became manifest.
Let there be no more silence nor reticence, taciturnity nor negligence.
The Candle is lighted--yet the moths continue motionless and melancholy
behind the veils.
Now is the time to roar like unto a sea and seek to ascend heavenward! If
we desire to reach the apex of the Supreme Kingdom, we must unfurl our
wings; if we wish to dive into the depths of the ocean,we must teach our
limbs swimming. The time is short and the Divine Courser moves swiftly on;
let us keep up and compete with each other and let us light a brilliant
candle!
"O ye brilliant realities!..."
O ye(187) brilliant realities!
Blessed are ye, for that ye believed in the Lord of Hosts, advanced unto
the Kingdom of God, with faces rejoicing with the glad-tidings of God,
that ye were awakened by the breezes of God, revived by the Spirit of God,
and attracted by the fragrances of God. May it be salutary to ye, the cup
overflowing with the wine of the love of God!
Thank your Lord for making ye signs of guidance and standards of the
Supreme Kingdom. Soon shall the earth shake in your name, the angels pray
for you. the bells ring in your mentioning, the hearts overflow with your
love and tongues speak in your praise; forasmuch as the doors of the
Kingdom are being opened before your faces, and the paradise of eternal
life is being prepared and decorated for your entrance; therefore enter
ye, while believing, assured, rejoiced, attracted, severed from the world
and all therein. And be not sorrowful on account of the affliction of
Abdul-Baha, for calamity is a light, whereby his face glistens among the
Supreme Concourse; affliction is healing to his breast, joy of his heart,
happiness to his soul; nay, rather, the most honored garment upon his
temple and best robe upon his body, and the dearest crown upon his head.
This is his utmost desire.
Implore unto God and supplicate to Him in your prayers at morn and eve,
asking God to destine to Abdul-Baha the draught of the great martyrdom, so
that he may welcome it with great desire, and ascend unto the Kingdom of
God with illumined face, with smiling lips, brilliant forehead, eloquent
tongue, and great thankfulness among the Supreme Concourse.
"O ye who are attracted! O ye who are remembered!..."
O ye(188) who are attracted! O ye who are remembered! O ye who are
directed unto the Kingdom of God!
Verily I supplicate God in heart and spirit to make you signs of guidance,
standards of sanctity and fountains of knowledge and understanding, that
through you He may guide the seekers unto the Straight path and lead them
unto the Mighty Way in this Great Cycle.
O beloved of God! Know ye that the world is like unto a mirage which the
thirsty one thinks to be water; its water is a vapor; its mercy a
difficulty; its repose hardship and ordeal; leave it to its people and
turn unto the Kingdom of your Lord the Merciful. Thus the lights of mercy
and beneficence may shine upon you, the heavenly table descend for you,
your Lord may bestow upon you the greatest gifts and favors, whereby your
breasts may become dilated, your hearts gladdened, your souls purified,
and your eyes enlightened.
O beloved of God! Is there any giver save God? He chooseth for His mercy
whomsoever He desireth.
He shall open unto you the doors of His knowledge, fill your hearts with
His love, rejoice your spirits by the wafting of His holy fragrances,
illumine your faces by the Manifest Light and elevate your names among the
people.
Verily your Lord is the most merciful of the merciful! He will aid you
through an unseen host, and help you by armies of inspiration from the
Supreme Concourse, send you the fragrances of the Supreme Paradise,
perfume your nostrils by the breath of purity wafted from the garden of
the Supreme Concourse, cause you to enter the Ark of Safety, and reveal to
you the Manifest Signs.
Verily this is a great bounty! Verily this is a manifest attainment!
"O thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!..."
O thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!
Verily, I am informed of thy confession of the Oneness of God and thy
being attracted to the fragrances of God. I implore unto God to make thee
a sign of guidance; thy face rejoicing among the maid-servants of the
Merciful, and thy heart severed from this world, which weakeneth the
hearts and spirits.
"O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of..."
O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of God!
Verily thy letter reached me and I prayed God to confirm thee in guiding
the people to the Manifestation of Lights; satisfying the thirsty ones
with the pure and peaceful water; leading the sick to the Glorious
Physician; guiding those who are led astray into the Path, imparting the
wine to those who are seeking, and feeding the hungry souls with the food
which descendeth from the heaven of thy Lord, the Glorious!
"O thou who seekest for the Will of God!..."
O thou who seekest for the Will of God!
Give thanks to God that thou entered the divine Kingdom and knowest the
heavenly Lord of Hosts!
The light of truth hath radiated from the Sun of Divinity to the horizons
in such a manner that the East and the West are illumined. But, alas! the
blind do not see and the deaf do not hear the divine proclamation. The
bats do not perceive the light of the sun and the beetles cannot enjoy the
fragrances of a rose-garden.
Consider that the horizons of the world were enlightened through the light
of the beauty of His Holiness Christ; yet all the people were asleep,
blind and sightless, except a few whose eyes were opened and perceived the
lights. Now thou shalt thank God that a beam of the light came to thy
sight. I ask God that thine inner sight may be illumined so that thou
mayest discover the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of God. If thou become
so, thou wilt be an evident light and a divine angel in the celestial
dominion; then it dependeth on the divine confirmation, according to thy
perseverance.
"O thou seeker of the True One!..."
O thou seeker of the True One!
In the day of Christ all nations were expecting that His Holiness Christ
should come from heaven, and He came from heaven, though outwardly He came
from the womb of Mary. Hence, He hath said in the Gospels: "No one shall
ascend to heaven except the one who hath come from heaven." Now all the
people expect Him to come from heaven.
If thou wishest to find the truth, compare the days of the Manifestation
of the Beauty of Abha with the days of Christ; consider this is
identically like that and the same doubts and oppositions are put forth
(by the people).
as to the proofs and arguments of the Beauty of Abha, these are manifest
like the sun. If thou wishest a discerning eye and seekest for a hearing
ear, set thou aside that which thou hast heard from fathers and ancestors,
for such things are imitation--and then seek for the truth with the utmost
attention until the divine confirmation may reach thee and the matter may
be properly disclosed unto thee.
"O thou cup overflowing with the Wine of the Love of..."
O thou cup overflowing with the Wine of the Love of God!
Know, verily, that the doors of the Kingdom are being opened to the East
and West. Verily the people neglected the Name of their Lord after
expectancy of centuries and ages! However, those whose consciences were
pure, whose hearts were sanctified, urge forward thereto and enter therein
through every door with faces shining, hearts and spirits rejoiced. thank
God for this great guidance and mighty gift!
"O thou whose tongue is uttering the Name of God!..."
O thou whose tongue is uttering the Name of God!
Turn wholly unto the Lord of Hosts, "Glorious Station," the Manifest; be
severed from all things, and hold to the robe of the Clement Lord, and
enter into the extended shade, until thy Lord confirmeth thee by the
fragrances of holiness in this promised day, wherein the name of the
Kingdom is celebrated and spread in all regions.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
Verily, I read thy words of thanksgiving to God, for He hath guided the
beloved of God and His maid-servants to the light of guidance and given
them to drink the cup filled with the wine of the most mighty gift.
Verily, I beseech the Divine Might to strengthen them by the Holy Spirit
in all times and circumstances so that they may be firm in the Cause of
God and steadfast in love for Baha', a firmness and steadfastness
resembling that of immovable mountains and lofty hills.
O maid-servant of God! Deliver my greetings, praise and longings to the
beloved of God and His maid-servants in that remote region, and say unto
them:
"Hasten, hasten to the fountain of the mercy of God! Hasten, hasten to
enter into the Kingdom of God! Hasten, hasten to the effulgence which is
shining like unto the sun from the Supreme Horizons throughout ages and
cycles!
"O beloved of God and His maid-servants! Verily the Beauty of El-Abha hath
endured every hardship, calamity and great affliction in love for you, so
that ye may be directed by the lights of the Kingdom unto the King of the
Realm of Might, and be shining as a brilliant light in the glass of the
contingent world. Hasten to avail yourselves of the opportunity to enter
[the protection of] the inaccessible Cause and lofty Shelter!
"Truly I say unto you, this is a gift which neither the dominion of the
world, nor the riches of treasuries, nor the glory of the distinguished
men of the world, can equal in this glorious century and new age; inasmuch
as crowns are transient, while this is eternal and never ending."
O my Lord! O my Lord! Strengthen them in whatsoever Thou willest, with
that Thou willest, upon what Thou willest!
"O maid-servant of God!..."
O maid-servant of God!
Verily thy letter indicated thy faith in the Oneness of God. I ask God to
make thee firm in His Religion, to confirm thee through the breath of the
Holy Spirit, so that thou mayest speak the teachings of God and guide the
people unto the Kingdom.
O maid-servant of God! Verily the bounty of God upon thee is great, great!
If thou remainest firm in the path of the love of thy Lord, thou shalt
behold the doors of success and progress open before thy face from all
sides. Verily this is not far from the mercy of thy Lord!
"O maid-servant of God!..."
O maid-servant of God!
I ask God to open before thy face the doors of wisdom, to give thee a
drink of the chalice overflowing with the wine of certainty, and to
inspire thee with the mysteries of the Holy Book, so that thou mayest know
the significances of vision and the reality of revelation, and all the
hidden symbols of prophetic Scripture, such as those of Isaiah, Jeremiah
and Ezekiel.
"O thou who art advancing unto God!..."
O thou who art advancing unto God!
Thank God for that He taught thee the word of guidance, illuminated thy
heart by the light of the Kingdom in this world, destined to thee eternal
life, everlasting salvation, progress and prosperity in the world of
spirit.
Hold to the garment of glory, grasp the firm rope and loosen thy tongue in
praise of the Beloved El-Abha. Neglect not praying and communing in the
gloomy midnights and morn and eve, and offer glory unto thy Lord, the
Supreme.
"O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of..."
O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of God!
Verily, I am in receipt of thy letter, and my breast is dilated by its
contents which proved thy great attraction (to God), thy joy of heart and
the rejoicing of thy spirit by the Kingdom of God.
Trust in God in all matters and lead the people unto the solid faith, the
way of the Kingdom; so that they may be ushered into the canopy of peace
and abide in the strong castle of the mercy of thy Lord, the Clement; that
they may hoist the standards of the love of God in the highest mountain
summits, promulgate the revelation of strength on the Ark of Safety and
immerse [thyself] in the seas of the mercy of thy Lord, the Clement.
Convey my greetings and praise to thy respected wife and to thy mother,
who believed in her God; cheer her heart and comfort her spirit through
the Kingdom of God.
"O thou who art turning thy heart unto the Kingdom of..."
O thou who art turning thy heart unto the Kingdom of God!
Verily, I read thy recent letter and praised God for having blessed thee
with two babes, as a mercy on His part. He is indeed the Merciful, the
Generous!
Give to them the names Leah and Rachel, which are the names of the two
wives of Jacob, for they were two sisters, beloved of God. Perchance God
hath destined profound wisdom in this.
Then thank God that He hath guided thy honorable wife to the Manifestation
of Light, the Revealer of Signs and the Source of Mysteries. Verily, this
is the great favor.
Then know verily, that the doors of tests will be opened in that town, but
it is incumbent on thee to be steadfast in the love of God and firm in His
great Cause. He who remaineth firm, grows; and he who is steadfast will be
confirmed by God with great power in this glorious century.